Merkel, Macron pledge to drive forward European reform

PARIS — Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel pledged on Friday to accelerate efforts to reform Europe as they prepared a joint declaration to form the basis of a new Franco-German Elysée Treaty.

The document will be published 55 years after the first Elysée Treaty, signed by then-President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, a landmark of post-war reconciliation and cooperation between the two countries.

In a major European speech he gave in September, Macron called for a “revision” of the treaty to inaugurate what he called France’s “new partnership” with Germany.

Ahead of a working dinner in Paris, the French president and the German chancellor said their declaration would be published on Monday.

After their dinner, the two leaders were scheduled to attend a concert of works by Debussy, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, whose personality and biography Merkel said was “symbolic” of contemporary Europe.

Although her CDU conservative party is still trying to form a government with the center-left SPD after last September's general election, Merkel seemed ready to take on the substantive European issues that have been at the core of bilateral talks ever since Macron took office last May.

Although he said he didn’t want to meddle in German politics, Macron opined that the preliminary deal signed last week between the two main German parties reveals “a real ambition for the European project.”

Asked about the differences between the two countries on reforming Europe and the eurozone, Macron said that “the idea at the exploratory stage shouldn’t be to search for differences but to allow us to build convergence. That’s the way we always built Europe.”

“We share the idea that we want a more sovereign, more united, more democratic Europe,” he added.

Both countries’ governments seem confident that there is still time in the next few months to make sufficient progress on what has been a key part of the French president’s grand European designs.

The countries’ finance ministers, Bruno Le Maire and Peter Altmaier, said on Thursday that teams of experts on both sides would work hard to come up with joint reform ideas to complete the eurozone banking union, speed up the creation of a capital markets union in the EU and harmonize corporate taxes, all by next June.

In a deliberate display of unity, Merkel and Macron plan to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on the same day, Wednesday of next week.

Good luck to Merkel and Macron in building United Europe.
There is no surprise, that the strongest european nations cooperate in this effort.
Who else would have the vision and the strength?
Having Trump’s US and Putin’s Russia as “partners”, Europe unification process must accelerate. EU is on its own and must act fast.

Posted on 1/19/18 | 10:03 PM CET

dc

Not in jail yet ?!?

Posted on 1/19/18 | 10:05 PM CET

Burgundian

How nice, Reich-Vichy pact to dominate Europe take two, apparently they forgot what happened the last time.

Since I’m neither German or French I have no desire to have a vulturess and her poodle decide my future.

We need less EU, and with Germans and French in charge we need no EU.

Posted on 1/19/18 | 10:25 PM CET

Burgundian

@Boyan Taksirov

An excellent idea, when they unite Europe they can use Bulgaria as a migrant dump, not that you would mind selling your countrymen for enough Euros. Types like you cheered Soviets the loudest in 1940s, once collaborator – always collaborator.

Nope. My grandparents were repressed by the soviet regime.
I do not want bulgarians to be repressed again by soviet backed regime, which is actually a real threat. All of the mafia here is pro-russian, pro-Trump and anti EU.

Schneller Heinz

Poor mutti is not going to be around much longer, small wonder Micron is smirking.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 12:43 AM CET

klv

well,the founders are indeed the founders,italy is on election,but his next pm have his word also.
How happened after brexit vote,if you remember,meeting between 3 nations germany-italy-france.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 3:03 AM CET

Giuseppe Marrosu

Please Politico erase racist comments.
Boyan is being attacked just because he’s from Bulgaria. This is unacceptable and very revealing of the racist mindset of many EU haters.
@ Burgundian and other trolls: express your apologies if you are worth of being called men or women.
Long live Europe, long live Bulgaria!

Posted on 1/20/18 | 9:13 AM CET

Canadian

@Giuseppe Marrosu
“@ Burgundian and other trolls: express your apologies if you are worth of being called men or women.
Long live Europe, long live Bulgaria!”

wow

The world has moved on and now the EU is a small trading block. The UK are leaving to join bigger ones such as NAFTA and TPP/APEC. 3 times and 6 times bigger than the EU27.

EU27 will never catch up now even with reform. It’s future is bleak. Macron is a Thatcherite dreaming of the 1980’s. The ship sailed already and he cannot make Paris ‘the new London’ as he keeps saying. It’s a compliment to London, but it is pipedream. It’s 40 years out of date. Still looking to the past.

We have told you this for decades, but you do not like the truth.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 10:23 AM CET

Anton

@Politico.eu
I’d wish you would implement some proper comments mechanism. This comment section is a waste of time. It has been overrun by spammers, flamers and (Russian) trolls.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 11:43 AM CET

wow

@Anton

Yes, we’re all Russian. The majority of the UK, actually, is russian didn’t you know…..*LOL*. We let all Russians vote in our referendum. It’s true.

Wake up sleepy.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 12:35 PM CET

wow

@Anton

The comments section is a joke, because Politico’s obvious propaganda and the EU are both a joke.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 12:37 PM CET

wow

@Anton

……You area joke trying to blame russia for UK comments, when we’ve had a referendum result informing you that a majority of UK citizen’s don’t like the undemocratic run- for -multinationals EU.

It’s good to laugh at yourself.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 12:39 PM CET

Giuseppe Marrosu

Please tell the trolls this article is about EU reform. Not about Brexit. Not about Bulgaria’s supposedily selling its support. Not about Canada or the USA. It’s about OUR EU. Our BELOVED EU.
Comments from people outside the EU are welcome as long as they are focused on the topic and expressed in a respectful, not provocatory, way. Of course using real names instead of pseudonyms would be appreciated.
I love the EU and I am happy Bulgaria is part of it and I want to express my support. If that induces vomiting on someone, that someone can spare him/herself reading my comments. I will certainly skip his/hers from now on.
Criticism is welcome. Useless insults by anti-EU fanatic losers are not.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 1:59 PM CET

Ranger

@Giuseppe Marrosu
EU REFORMS?! With who? With Merkel and Macron? NO WAY!!!

Posted on 1/20/18 | 2:32 PM CET

The Economist

“Merkel, Macron pledge to drive forward European reform”

Oh really???

Funny that merkel can’t even form a government and she’s going to lead eu reforms with macaroni, she may not even be in that job let alone in a position to lead any eu eu reforms which will never happen.

And to the poor lefty trolls who think the russians are taking over, I’m Irish and just as entitled to be on this site as any of you are.

Take those blinkers off and see that not everybody in europe is happy with the direction the eu is forcing on us all.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 2:41 PM CET

lingon

@wow: yeah, that’s why all the economic stats for EU point upwards, and the UK’s are going south…you with your over privatisation – with Curillion as teh latest example of failure – is no model for anyone to take after.

Generally, life in England is low quality, low standard, dumbed down and increasingly miserable.

I think we can expect a massive EU-exodus…

Posted on 1/20/18 | 3:28 PM CET

wow

‘I think we can expect a massive EU-exodus’

The world just laughed. Macron just begged for money for calais. They are still trying to get into the UK, knowing full well, UK is leaving the EU27.

They are LEAVING the EU27 to get into the UK.

Usa are not trying to get into mexico. It’s the other way around. Why are they still leaving the Eu27 to try to reach UK shores even at the cost of their lives? Because the EU is a quarter developing nations and you cannot drink the water in two thirds of the EU27 according to the NHS. 20 out of 27 countries are ‘systematically corrupt’ in the EU27 according to transparency international, including the third and fourth largest italy and spain, which are also repaying IMF loans as their economies nearly completely COLLAPSED. Greece has collapsed.

This are statistical facts (google is your friend!) , not the nonsense you just came out with. As a whole the UK is richer than the EU27. Check the UN HI for the EU28, it is very low and will be much lower once the UK leaves.

Cheerio Now.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 4:32 PM CET

bluebell

” the two leaders were scheduled to attend a concert of works by Debussy, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, whose personality and biography Merkel said was “symbolic” of contemporary Europe.”

I sincerely hope that he is not symbolic of contemporary Europe as Barenboim left his wife, Jacqueline du Pré, who was a wonderful cellist like Paul Tortelier, when she developed Multiple Sclerosis.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 5:09 PM CET

Daniel carrick

‘harmonize corporate taxes’

Anyone told the Irish about this?

Posted on 1/20/18 | 5:44 PM CET

guilherme

Anton,
“I’d wish you would implement some proper comments mechanism. ”
Could you list the criteria for the proper comments?
What official ideology would they follow?
Marxist-leninist?
Politically correct?
Left liberal?
.
.
.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 6:17 PM CET

wow

@lingon

problem with you lingon is… you come on saying things like ‘life in England is low quality, low standard, dumbed down and increasingly miserable.’ and then when your statistically proven wrong by how low the United Nations HDI etc..can’t drink the water in two-third of the Eu27 according to the NHS website…etc…and how rubbish the EU27 is at everything in the world….

…..you start crying and saying I’m picking on small countries and sound like Trump.

If you can’t handle it, shut your big mouth and I won’t have to point out your nonsense.

Simples.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 8:20 PM CET

That's right

Good news!

@to all anti-eu brits, russian and american trolls – you’re ignorance is our strength you help the EU cause by showing yourselves and your ineptitudes.

Posted on 1/20/18 | 8:28 PM CET

Saintixe

In 1963 Kanzler Adenauer and President De Gaulle began the long march which is still going on today.
Twice yearly meetings between heads of states followed from 2003 onward by biannual bilateral cabinets meetings.
In short, since 55 years German and French high level civil servants have steadily met and learned to work more together.
Naturally this has consequences. People know each other, know what makes them tick or block off. While it is not perfect, it explains why this couple is not uncoupling. In short, the 2 countries are singing to closer tune.
This is the result. And it shows at Brussels.

Britain complains nobody pays attention to Britain. But…. do we have regular biannual meetings between PMs and French presidents? No. It is but recently that yearly meetings are held. As for cabinets meetings they do not exist.
Does this prevent extraordinary meetings to be held? No. But the principle from the beginning is the essence of regularity. A regular pattern
So that French and German civil administrations know how the cogs turn and how the flow of informations along alignments is well oiled. Berlin knows what gets the Seine flowing and Paris knows how planes can land safe in Tempelhof.
Nothing prevented/prevents Britain to get its message across. Splendid isolation has consequences.
Them be Labour or Tory, Britain previous administrations have declined soft power diplomacy as this is diplomacy at its best, most peaceful and efficient.
I add in these days of Brexit when in less than a year or so, London voice in the EU parliament will be permanently turned off ( probably a good thing when we remember Farage) lobbying is going to be of the essence.
Britain decision since 1956 when the Suez fiasco could have brought the silver lining of closer co-operation not to engage into this diplomacy of Ferrero rochers . 60 years vasted where London could have softly softly got its preferences heard and conveyed cannot be recovered.
It does not imply all is lost but certainly time has been wasted for too long and it is about time to do something

Posted on 1/20/18 | 10:32 PM CET

Veritas-Semper

Masters of sand castles cream on…

Posted on 1/20/18 | 10:36 PM CET

Jan

“They are LEAVING the EU27 to get into the UK.”

Indeed. That’s the consequence of London looking more and more like Lahore or Lagos and even more Muslim immigrants are snowballing onto that.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 12:55 AM CET

Milton38

A simple observation.
Both leaders run countries in dire need of reform. Why don’t they start small – with their own countries – before tackling a huge problem like the EU.
Is it because they then can blame someone else – like Bulgaria or Greece?
They remind me of students tackling calculus without the foggiest idea about limits.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 6:21 AM CET

Gwenan Richards

Europe and European are used throughout the article instead of EU – a device that allows people to then say that I am less ‘European’ for being anti-EU. Effective propaganda!

Posted on 1/22/18 | 12:03 PM CET

Burgundian

@Boyan Taksirov

Little Bulgarian nobody barking for his German masters demands seriousnesses, now that’ funny.

I do not pretend to be a VIP person. I just express my opinion in a public forum.
And, if I am “nobody”, as you say, could you tell who are you, who do you represent and what makes you more than “nobody”?